Szoboszlai Emerges as Liverpool's Penalty Hero in Draw Against Newcastle
Dominik Szoboszlai walked into a storm at St James’ Park and walked out with the ball under his arm and Liverpool’s penalty pecking order in his pocket.
The Hungary international lashed a stoppage-time spot-kick into the top corner to steal a 2-2 draw, silencing a furious home crowd and throwing a new name into the frame for Liverpool’s post-Mohamed Salah era from 12 yards.
Szoboszlai stakes his claim
No hesitation. No doubt. No Alexander Isak.
With the game slipping away, it was Szoboszlai, not Newcastle’s returning No 9, who strode up and buried the late penalty, a strike Andoni Iraola later described as “almost impossible” to stop.
Szoboszlai has been quietly putting the hours in.
“I was practising a lot in the pre-season… in training, so thanks to the second and third goalies to be there for me,” he said afterwards.
The question hung over Liverpool all summer: who takes penalties now Salah has gone? On this evidence, Szoboszlai has made a loud first claim. Iraola, though, was keen to spread the responsibility.
“I think we have not only Dom [Szoboszlai] and Alexander [Isak] – we have more very good specialists. Alexis [Mac Allister] also was on the pitch and he’s a very good penalty-taker, Cody [Gakpo] – we have a lot. But I think Dom showed the level,” he said.
It wasn’t just the penalty. Szoboszlai ran Liverpool’s dead-ball play, taking every corner and free-kick, and kept demanding the ball as the visitors racked up 27 shots.
Before his late equaliser, Gakpo had dragged Liverpool back into it with a low, drilled effort from outside the box that skidded into the bottom corner. The Dutchman peppered the goal all afternoon, finishing with six shots – more than any other player in Gameweek 1 so far – and added enough defensive work to hit the DefCon threshold and walk away with 12 Fantasy points.
Liverpool were chaotic, flawed and wide open at times. They were also relentless.
Isak’s muted return, Wirtz struggles
This was supposed to be Alexander Isak’s big homecoming. His first game back at St James’ Park, the noise cranked up, the stage set.
It never quite happened.
Isak had a hand in five of Newcastle’s attacking moments – either shooting or creating – but his afternoon was defined by near-misses. A header blocked. A chance from just inside the box skied into the Gallowgate. Glimpses, not dominance.
Iraola defended his striker’s display.
“I think he expected a little bit the atmosphere… I think he has tried everything, has given us good positions on the ball,” the Newcastle boss said. “He has had a couple of situations to finish inside the box, but probably not the clearest that he wanted or we wanted… but I value that. He has continued pushing on in the game, fighting, and I think it’s a good step for Alex for being the first game.”
Alongside him, Florian Wirtz looked just as off-key. Used in a front two, the £7.5m man flickered early on and forced a solid stop from Lukas Hornicek, but his influence faded badly. Hooked just after the hour, he left with frustration written all over his face.
Others in red laboured as well. Both full-backs were unconvincing, while Rio Ngumoha endured a rough afternoon on the right flank, never quite adjusting to the tempo or physicality. His replacement, Victor Munoz, immediately brought more direct running and drew the late penalty that changed the mood of the entire stadium.
At the back, Liverpool wobbled more than once. Yet Jeremy Jacquet emerged with credit, coping well for 70 minutes before fitness caught up with him.
“Jeremy [Jacquet] hasn’t done a proper pre-season, so it was kind of expected he didn’t finish the game,” Iraola explained. “All the substitutes gave us energy. We need it because it’s difficult to last the full 90 minutes with the same players the way we want to play. Players coming off the bench can affect the game.”
They did. On both sides.
Wissa shines in Jaissle’s new-look Newcastle
Strip away the late sting and this was an encouraging first league outing for Matthias Jaissle.
Newcastle led twice, with Anthony Elanga and substitute Joe Willock on the scoresheet, and showed flashes of the vertical, aggressive style their new manager wants. The real heartbeat, though, was Yoane Wissa.
Nominally a No 10, in reality he was everywhere.
Wissa buzzed between the lines, linked superbly with Will Osula and repeatedly drove at Liverpool’s back line. He wasted a couple of big chances, but every time Newcastle broke at speed, he seemed to be at the centre of it. His surging carry and composure on the ball teed up Willock’s goal, a moment that felt like it might win the game.
“With the new role he’s given me it’s given me a lot of confidence. I’m one of the leaders so I need to back him,” Wissa said of Jaissle. “The manager expects me to be a leader and lead the group. He wants me to be winning balls, making sure everyone is going forward, going for the kill, and sometimes just be calm. He wants me to keep up the energy.”
Energy was everywhere in black and white. Elanga’s direct running, Osula’s constant movement, Willock’s impact off the bench. Both goals came from rapid transitions, cutting through Liverpool on the break. Tottenham, Newcastle’s next opponents, will have taken note. Any slackness against balls in behind next weekend, and Wissa and company will pounce.
At the other end, Hornicek and Amar Dedic both impressed with calm, tidy displays, while Lewis Miley, despite a limited pre-season, grew into the game in midfield and looked like he belonged.
Injury concerns and what comes next
Not everything went Newcastle’s way.
Captain Dan Burn is already out of the picture, sidelined for the next few weeks with an ankle injury picked up in training. He arrived at St James’ Park on crutches and in a protective boot, a stark sight on opening weekend for a side trying to build a new defensive platform.
Osula, so sharp early on, took a heavy knock and tried to run it off, only to come off in the 56th minute. There was no immediate update, but with an EFL Cup tie against West Bromwich Albion looming in midweek, Jaissle’s pre-match press conference will carry extra weight.
Newcastle left the pitch angry at the late penalty and frustrated at the points dropped. Liverpool walked away knowing they had been second-best in key moments but rescued by Szoboszlai’s nerve and Gakpo’s persistence.
One game in, and already the narratives are forming. Szoboszlai as Liverpool’s new man from the spot. Wissa as Jaissle’s on-field lieutenant. Isak searching for his sharpest edge under the fiercest spotlight.
If this is the opening act, what happens when the stakes rise and the margins tighten?
